


Love has no distance (with us)

by fandomgarbage622868



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22120360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomgarbage622868/pseuds/fandomgarbage622868
Summary: “No one can talk me down from the edge like E.J. can. I just need E.J.”-_-_-Or the one where Ricky tricks his dad into thinking he’s going to visit his mom but really goes to surprise E.J. at college.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell
Comments: 3
Kudos: 104





	Love has no distance (with us)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Ricky traveling long distances just to see EJ.  
> —  
> Basically I really wanted to write something for RJ but I didn’t have any real ideas so I used a prompt generator and this came up and I fell in love with the idea so here we are.

Ricky was a mess. It was obvious with just one look in the boy’s direction. His friends were worried but they all knew why he was like this, so they just offered him a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on if he needed it but he never accepted their offers. Ricky’s parents were still thick in a custody battle that he was always forced to overhear as the phone calls between his mom and dad were always screaming matches on speaker phone, meanwhile the one person Ricky would normally go to to escape and seek refuge from these calls was no longer around. His boyfriend E.J. left earlier that month to go to a performing arts college in New York, leaving Ricky stumbling through his last year of high school by himself until he can graduate and follow in his foot steps. “Are you ok? I mean I know you’re not ok but I mean you look awful, more awful than average.” Nini asked in a gentle voice as she sat down next to Ricky at lunch.  
“I haven’t slept in like a week.” Ricky managed to choke out. He’d been crying so much lately that his throat had felt like sand paper all the time.  
“They were fighting again?” Ricky nodded. “Did you try calling E.J.?” She put a gentle hand on his shoulder to confront him, which he quickly shrugged away from, that’s what E.J. used to do.  
“Yeah, but because of the time difference he’s already asleep when I call.” Ricky said before burying his head in his arms resting on the table in front of him.  
“You know you could’ve called me, or Big Red, or Gina, or any of us really, right?” Nini was beyond worried about the boy sat next to her. Some might find that strange seeing as he’s her ex who’s now dating her other ex, but they had too much history to just forget their friendship after the drama that went down the year prior.  
“Yes of course I know that, but no offence, it’s just not the same. No one can talk me down from the edge like E.J. can. I just need E.J.” He shrugged and Nini could almost feel her heart break seeing him so upset.  
•••  
Later that day Ricky found himself eating dinner with his dad who looked almost as tired and Ricky felt. “So, kid.” His dad broke the silence. “I just wanted to apologise to you, I know things have been hard for you recently, what with all the fighting and it’s your senior year so you have tons of schoolwork I’m sure. And then E.J. leaves, I can only imagine how hard all that must be for you.” Ricky nods along to his dad’s words before shoving a piece of food into his mouth.  
“Anyways, I hate to bring this up, but... your mom’s birthday is coming up and she really wants to see you.” His dad attempts eye contact but Ricky just kept looking down as he pushed his food around on his plate. “I was wondering if you wanted to fly there and spend some time with her? I’ll pay for the ticket, just tell me how much it’ll be and I’ll handle it.” Ricky was ready to snap at his dad for even bringing that up, but then a plan formed in his head.  
“Yeah, that’ll do. I’ll look up prices and let you know tonight.” Ricky noticed the small smile on his dad’s face that he hadn’t seen since all of this started and it made him feel bad because of what he had planned to do, but that only lasted a moment.  
•••  
E.J. sighed as he walked down the hallway to his dorm. It had been a long day and all he wanted was to lay on his bed and text Ricky in order to pretend that he was laying next to him, it hadn’t worked yet but he had intended to keep trying. As soon as he opened the door to his dorm room he was wrapped up in the most familiar embrace. “Ricky?” E.J. asked as he wound his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.  
“I missed you.” Ricky cried into his boyfriend’s chest. E.J. tried his best to calm him by rubbing his back, be he couldn’t help tears from pouring out of his own eyes at the comfort of Ricky’s embrace.  
“How are you here?” E.J. asked once the pair finally pulled apart from the embrace. E.J. laid a hand on Ricky’s sunken face and sighed at the sight of the dark circles under his eyes.  
“My dad paid for the flight.” Ricky sighed before connecting his lips to E.J.’s for the first time in forever, he was finally home.  
Once they pulled apart E.J.’s brain finally caught up to his mouth and allowed him to ask more about the details of his visit. “Your dad just paid for you to come see me? What about school? How long are you here for?”  
“I’m here for the rest of the week and I fly back on Saturday.” Ricky tried to distract him from the other questions by leaning in for another kiss only to have E.J. take a step back. Ricky sighed heavily before answering the other questions “Technically no my dad didn’t pay for me to come see you. He paid for me to go see my mom for her birthday. He told me to just book the flight and he’d pay for it and I just needed to see you so without telling him I booked a flight to New York instead of Chicago. He doesn’t know I’m here.” Ricky confessed and the slight look of disappointment on E.J.’s face made him think he might have done the wrong thing. That is before E.J. smiled and brought him back in for another hug.  
“I have to admit I’m not thrilled hearing that you’re gonna miss your mom’s birthday, but having you in my arms again is just what I needed.” They hug each other for what feels like forever until they hear a phone ring. Ricky sighs, immediately knowing it’s his phone.  
“Hey dad.” He smiled as he answered the FaceTime call, turning so E.J. wasn’t in frame.  
“Where the hell are you? You should’ve landed by now but your mom just called me frantically claiming that you never got off the plane.” His dad looked furious but he couldn’t help the smile that sprung to his face as he looked over and saw E.J.  
“I got off the plane, obviously.” He laughed and his dad just kept scowling, but his face changed to one of shock after he processed what the background looked like.  
“I swear to god if you did what I think you did...” his dad nearly shouted but kept his voice under control as best he could, “Did you use the money I gave you to go see your boyfriend instead of your mother?” Ricky shrugged before turning so E.J. was next to him.  
“Hey Mr. Bowen!” E.J. smiled innocently. Ricky’s dad sighed before putting his face in his hand that wasn’t holding the phone.  
“For fuck’s sake Richard.” He swore tiredly. “Your mom is going to have a field day calling my a bad parent after this one.”  
“Sorry dad, but I needed to see him. I’ll make it up to mom somehow, I promise.” Ricky smiled at his father and he could tell he couldn’t stay mad seeing how happy Ricky was to be back in E.J.’s embrace.  
“You better. You need to call her right now and tell her where you are, and don’t forget her birthday is Wednesday, so you gotta FaceTime her or something then. If you don’t so help me Richard Bowen you will be grounded for so long that you won’t even remember what your life was like before.” He threatened and Ricky nodded in agreement to show he understood.

“I will dad, don’t worry, just enjoy the house to yourself and know I’m good.” Ricky said in a comforting voice.  
“Ok... oh and don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” He said before pointing a stern finger at the camera.  
“Yes sir.” Ricky said before saluting with two fingers and hanging the call up. He turned to E.J. and wordlessly pulled him in to a kiss.  
“Aren’t you supposed to call your mom?” E.J. said after pulling away from Ricky despite his instincts to ignore the situation in favour of kissing his boyfriend.  
“I will, but first can’t we cuddle? I’ve missed that so much.” Ricky flashed his puppy dog eyes that always gets him what he wants and E.J. sighed before giving in.  
“Fine but you better call her before the end of the day. Your dad sounded really serious about it.” Rocky nodded without even really listening before pulling E.J. to his bed and cuddling up to him. Ricky would deal with his mom after he recharged, because oh boy did he need to recharge and this was the not only best way to do but really the only way. Ricky was finally back where he belonged, in E.J.’s arms.


End file.
